The Black Keys of a Piano
by 28KageBunshins
Summary: "Say what you want, but I will become to you what you became to me," he smirked, holding her chin with his thumb and index finger, causing her to be unable to look away from him "Don't fuck with me, I don't even know what you fucking mean," she replied emotionlessly. Who knew the foul-mouthed, stone-hearted maid would be who he fell for after living in agony for so long. EugeneXOC
1. The Colour of the Night Sky

She was the one person he loved more than anything and, even though he knew it would happen, he still dared to love her. He still dared to hope that perhaps he would not lose to Lee-leng Huang. But, it had happened and he was forced to admit he was now consumed by the anguish caused by his unconditional love being rejected. Three years had passed since the marriage of his love; yet the pain in his chest clenched his heart as tightly as ever.

Eugene shook his platinum blonde hair lightly, in order to pull himself out of his thoughts. He was in London tonight to attend a social gathering hosted by one of his father's many friends. The meeting was going to be held at eight o'clock, which seemed quite late to him and although it was only nearing six o'clock, the sky was already a fairly dark shade of blue. A light breeze blew through the darkened sky, rustling Eugene's long hair that had been tied back in a ponytail. A sigh escaped his lips, as he subconsciously looked up at the sky. A few stars could already be seen; London was interesting in a sense, he mused, while his gaze travelled back to earth to land on the impressive building standing before him. Metallic silver and white and turquoise glass were the colours the building consisted of. The structure itself was cylindrical and therefore an intriguing sight to behold to any passer-by. What also made it ideal was that it was right by river Thames. He could smell the scent of the river as it reached his nostrils; it put him at ease, which was why this place was one of his most favoured places in the world.

He made his way inside to the lobby section, where he was greeted by the receptionist who sat behind a curved wooden desk. The walls of the lobby were stark white with plants placed neatly around the place, on top of clean black tiles, and the fresh scent of lemons and other citrus fruits wafted throughout the space. Four evenly spaced metal lifts stood proudly at the far end of the room and displayed the number of the floor each lift was stationed in bold red lights. The receptionist was a tall and slim woman, with her straight auburn hair strictly straightened, so no hair was out of line. Her light blue eyes twinkled with mischief, causing her to look far younger than her age. She wore a modest, yet expensive black dress and her nails tapped lightly on the shiny, wooden desk. Upon seeing Eugene, her small, thin lips parted to display gleaming white teeth.

"Eugene! It's great to see you again! You really don't visit enough; it's been a year since you were last here," she spoke, her voice was slightly high-pitched and resonating like a large church bell.

Eugene closed his eyes and forced a smile.

"Sorry, I've just been very busy," he replied, his French origins being hinted at when he spoke. A light blush dusted the receptionist's cheeks, as she laughed lightly.

"Just promise me you'll come more often, okay?" She asked, smiling widely. Eugene flashed another dazzling smile her way and nodded.

"Of course," he said simply, "well, I'll be going now."

He bid the receptionist farewell and pressed a button for one of the four lifts to appear, sensing the unwavering gaze of the receptionist glaring into his back. He sighed quietly, patiently waiting; he was in no mood to flirt.

A sharp "ding" broke through the silence of the lobby, indicating a lift had arrived. Eugene stepped into it and pressed the number eleven, then waited again, as the doors of the lift closed and he was taken up to his floor. Once the lift doors opened at her floor, Eugene stepped out onto the gleaming black tiles, the clacking of his Italian leather shoes piercing the quietness of the hallway. He reached his front door to find that was already unlocked. Becoming wary, he opened the door slowly and peered inside. He saw a person clad in black and white a couple feet away from the door with their back to it, enough for him to reach out and grab them.

Eugene counted to three, then flung the door open and immediately grabbed the intruder's arms and used his weight to throw the intruder onto the floor by slamming his body against the person, causing the person to gasp, then groan. He pinned their waist down, immobilising their legs and pinned their arms above their head, the pressed his upper body against the person's back, completely immobilising them. The intruder didn't struggle at all, out of surprise, or fear, he wasn't sure.

"Could you get off me, babe. I don't know who you are, but I really need to finish cleaning this place," a female voice asked monotonously. Eugene's eyes widened, noticing the black and white uniform the female cleaners had to wear. He immediately got off her and the small woman got up after him and turned around.

What struck him first was the way in which the girl's blue eyes lacked everything. Nothing was present in them at all. No light, no darkness, no emotions. The second thing was the way in which she rubbed her right arm, where he'd grabbed earlier; it was as if he'd seriously injured her, even though he didn't think he'd held so tightly as to hurt her immensely. It seemed as if no light reached her black hair, which deemed to be what gave it its colour; her sand coloured skin gave her an exotic aura and made clear to him she was Asian; she only reached slightly below his chin. She didn't look at him, but through him and didn't seem to be attracted to him in any sense. It chilled him to know that someone could look so...so...

"What are you doing here?" She questioned. Her voice held a strange depth and was slightly lower than the average female's voice, he noted. Yet, it lacked one fundamental element that made a voice human. And he could place what it was.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, ignoring her question. The woman shrugged, then nodded, not letting go of the arm she had been rubbing.

"I guess so," she replied, completely unfazed he hadn't answered her question.

"Why are you holding your arm, then?" He tried again. The woman sighed.

"Why do you ask? So you can kiss it better?" She asked sarcastically. However, it was said in such a way, that if Eugene hadn't known better, he would've completely missed the sarcasm laced beneath the words. A smirk played on his lips.

"Exactly," he replied smoothly. It seemed at that moment that the woman first noticed him. She scrutinised him, with no indication as to what she felt, or thought.

"I don't like people touching me," was all she said after what seemed like a long time, "now, if you'll get out, I need to continue my job."

"Ma chère, this is my apartment," he said, amusement evident in his voice.

"...oh," she replied, still as unfazed as ever.

"You've been holding onto that arm for a while," he mused, "do you truly want me to kiss it better, if it hurts that much?"

"If all French men are like you, I promise you now that I will never in my life set foot in France," she said immediately, then murmured something quietly under her breath, something that Eugene completely missed.


	2. A Menial Favour

"How cruel; I'm truly hurt," Eugene said, feigning injury. The woman made no comment. It was only then that he registered that the small woman's eyes were blue. Piqued, he asked, "you're of Asian heritage, am I correct?" The woman nodded, "but you have blue eyes," he pointed out.

She sighed, as if used to this comment.

"Contacts, have you ever heard of them?" She asked monotonously.

"Ahh," he murmured, "I don't see why you need to wear contact lenses; I'm sure your natural eye colour will make you look even more beautiful."

"You're wrong," she stated, "anyway, if you don't mind, I need to get back to work so I can return home soon."

"Forgive me," he said. The woman shrugged then turned her back towards him and got back to polishing the dark, wooden floor.

Eugene locked his door, then walked further into his apartment. The sound of his Italian leather shoes echoed throughout the flat. A large sitting room facing a window that took over the whole wall was situated in front of a sleek, metallic kitchen; the only partitioning between the two being a small step up to the latter. To the right and left of the two rooms stood two smooth, black wooden door, the right leading to his bedroom and the left leading to a toilet. He opened the door to the right and disappeared into his room; the only sound heard for a while being the swish-swish of the brush the woman was using to polish the floor.

Within thirty minutes, the woman had finished her work and was putting the lid on the polish, when Eugene exited his room wearing something different to what he wore previously. He now wore a cream coloured suit with a duck egg blue shirt and a dark blue cravat.

"How do I look?" He asked teasingly.

The woman stared up at him and shrugged.

"The same as before, but with a different suit," she replied.

If he'd have not known better, he would have thought the woman was joking, but he knew not to expect that from her.

Eugene sighed in mock defeat.

"My, my, you really are something, aren't you?" He murmured.

"Sir, if you have somewhere to be, then I suggest you please go; I do not wish you to be late," the woman replied, ignoring his comment.

"You really care about me, don't you," Eugene smirked, crossing the distance to stand in front of her. The woman remained kneeling on the floor, unsure as to what this man was doing, "thank you for your concern," he said, kneeling down to be eye-level with her. He rested a hand on the side of her head and kissed her forehead, "well, I guess I'll be going, then; I hope we meet again soon," he said, getting up. The woman did not react.

Eugene went and stood by the front door. Turning around to look at the woman still situated on the floor.

"Ahh, I'm afraid I missed your name," he said, "please do tell me it."

A silence followed; Eugene couldn't decide whether it was awkward or not.

"Rei Tachibana," she finally said.

"Rei..."He murmured. "It suits you. I truly wish to meet you again, Miss Tachibana. Goodbye for now."

Rei said nothing, merely watched him leave.

Eugene stood in the elevator with one thing on his mind: the woman with the deadened eyes and the muted mouth. She wasn't something to be pitied; it was as if she'd already passed that stage; even though he knew this, he couldn't help but wish to know more about her. He wanted to help her.

The elevator dinged; indicating he had arrived at his desired floor. Getting out, he was again situated in the lobby; the receptionist sat behind the desk, reading an awfully boring-looking book. Upon hearing the sound of the elevator, she looked up; her eyes immediately brightening and her face breaking into a smile once she realised it was him.

"Where are you off to at this time?" She questioned, while Eugene walked up to her. He gave her a small smile.

"More importantly," he said not unkindly, "Rei Tachibana; how old is she?"

The receptionist stared at him curiously.

"She's only eighteen. Has she offended you in some way?" The receptionist asked with a frown. Eugene cocked his head to the side.

"What makes you think she has?" He questioned inquisitively.

"She's one of the worst employees we've hired;" the receptionist replied, "in terms of manners and grace."

"My dear Claudia, you are too harsh on her; she does her job well, I presume?" He asked, expecting the response the receptionist had given him.

Claudia nodded.

"She follows instructions well, but she's far too…what's the word…" She thought for a second.

"Emotionless, robotic, inhuman," Eugene murmured, more to himself than her. Claudia nodded once again; before she could speak, he said, "well, I must go; forgive me for keeping you for too long; I don't intend to stay much longer. However, would you so kindly do me a favour?"

"Of course! As long as it's in my power," she replied, hoping to be as helpful to him as possible. He gave her a dazzling smile.

./././.

Eugene's chauffer opened the car door, allowing him to step out of the backseat of the car. Closing it behind him, his chauffer then went and sat down in his seat, closing the driver's seat door and driving away with Eugene's sleek black car. Looking up, Eugene was met with two immense mahogany doors that were polished to perfection; two large, brass handles in the shape of a lion's head were found on both doors. Leading up to them were wide grey concrete stairs embellished with a burgundy red carpet draped down the middle of them. Two men in black suits were stationed at the base of the stairs; one on either side of the carpet and two other men were stationed by the doors; again, on either side. Large windows on both sides of the doors allowed passers-by to enviously look into the brightly-lit room on the other side, where men in expensive suits and women in pearls or diamonds socialised blithely, with a glass of wine or champagne in one hand. Judging by the fact that the double doors were now closed, Eugene guessed he had run late. As always. No doubt he would be told off by his father for this.

"Breathing out heavily, Eugene turned around to face the road in front of him, observing the many cars that passed by; then looking up at the sky. It had turned quite dark since the last time he noticed it; the sky had now turned a very dark shade of Prussian blue. Since he was in a more central part of London, he wasn't surprised he could only see a handful of stars; the air having been contaminated by pollution. Though, he supposed he could put up with it.

"Oh, Eugene! There you are!"

A male voice shouted from behind him. Turning around, he was met with one of his dad's friends walking down the stairs towards him. He was a middle-aged man, with balding brown hair and tired, but kind blue eyes. He had a round stomach and an average height.

"Mr Edwards, it has been a while, hasn't it?" He asked, giving him a small smile. Alastair Edwards returned his smile with a more enthusiastic one and nodded.

"Just as a warning, your father is speaking of your marriage. We should head in now, he wishes to speak to you urgently, as you can tell," he said, putting a hand on Eugene's shoulder, Eugene said nothing, merely let Alastair usher him up the stairs. The men standing at the base of the stairs bowed stiffly when Eugene and Alastair reached them; once they reached the two men standing beside the doors, they opened the doors for them and closed it behind them.

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><p><em><strong>Hello my dears; I'm so very sorry I haven't updated till now; I became busy with personal things. Anyway, thank you to<strong> VisforVixen **and**BloodDDB **for commenting; I really appreciate. It makes me well up with glee and motivates me whenever I get a new comment ^.^ A~nd of course, thank you to everyone who hs taken the time in reading my work. 'Til next time!**_


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